This teen activist's online petition has made her the face of a nationwide anti-bullying campaign.

Over 13 million American kids will be bullied this year. The film 'Bully', which premieres in select theaters on March 30, seeks to stop this epidemic by telling the painful and shocking stories of real kids, parents, and teachers. When the Motion Picture Association of America branded the movie with an R rating because of profanity, it threatened to prevent young people—who 'Bully' aims to address—from actually seeing the film. Katy Butler, a seventeen-year-old high school junior from a Michigan suburb, started an online petition to change the rating to PG-13. As hundreds of thousands of people joined her campaign, including Demi Lovato and Justin Bieber, Katy became the face of a nationwide anti-bullying movement. Though the MPAA did not overturn the restrictive R rating, causing producer Harvey Weinstein to release the film as unrated, it ignited Katy's crusade.

When did the issue of bullying become so important to you?"I was bullied in middle school for being openly gay. Obviously that makes someone very aware of what's happening. Last November, I started working with the Michigan anti-bullying legislature with a group that I'm in for LGBTQ youth in Ann Arbor. I fell in love with the work and I want to continue doing it forever."

When did you become aware of this film and decide to protest the rating?"About a month ago, I got an e-mail that advertised the film. I looked it up and thought that it had such a great message and was so excited for it to come out. Then, I saw that it was rated R for language, and I thought it was ridiculous and counterproductive because the message is for kids who are in middle school and high school. By rating the movie R, it's taking it away from them. So I went on Change.org and I started a petition to change it. When I got a call from The Weinstein Company at about 150,000 signatures, I realized that this was huge. Over half a million people have now signed the petition."

What will young people learn from this film?"I think that when kids who are bullied see this movie, they will realize that they're not alone. In the movie, it says that over 13 million kids are bullied every year. That's a huge number and a really strong message. Kids will see that and realize that if we stand up to bullying together, we can definitely change it. Also, when bullies see this movie, it will give them insight into what their actions are doing to real people. By having the message in a movie, it's not having teachers or parents punish them. Bullies will receive that really important message in a different way and hopefully think about what they're doing."

Had you used Change.org before? What are your tips for launching a successful petition?"Yes, I used Change.org to work on a petition for the Michigan anti-bullying legislature to remove a clause that was a license for bullying. Change.org is an open platform for anyone to start a petition about something that they believe in. I used Facebook and Twitter to court signatures for the 'Bully' petition, and e-mailed every single person that I had ever had contact with. 'Bully' is such a personal story that unfortunately so many people can connect and identify with, so it just took off."

Many celebrities have publicly supported your efforts. How has that made you feel?"It's been incredible! Meeting Ellen was my favorite moment. I've also had support from Justin Bieber and Demi Lovato, which is great because they're hitting that pre-teen age group that might not have otherwise been aware of the petition or seen the movie. I've also talked to Meryl Streep, Katie Couric, and Johnny Depp. Justin Bieber called me on the phone and told me that he was proud of me and that he really appreciated what I had done. It means so much to me that important and powerful people are supporting what I am doing."

Have you had to deal with any negative responses?""The only negative response that I've received was from the middle school that I used to attend and where I was bullied. That really hurt. It was a very personal response. I reached out to them, and they were unfortunately not very nice about my petition."

Do you have any upcoming plans to further support this film and stop bullying?"Yes, I'm going to be working with schools and movie theatres to get them to show the film. I'm also working on the national anti-bullying law. There's a national anti-bullying caucus, so that's definitely going in the right direction."

How do you feel about the current decision to put no rating on the film?"It's certainly better than an R rating. I don't think we'll know if it's a complete victory or not until we know how schools feel about it and if theatres are willing to show it."